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San Diego Chargers Name Tom Telesco General Manager

SAN DIEGO (CBSLA.com) — Former Indianapolis Colts Vice President of Football Operations Tom Telesco has been named General Manager of the San Diego Chargers.

Telesco will replace former GM A.J. Smith, who was fired along with Coach Norv Turner on Dec. 31, 2012.

“We set out to find the right person to bring about positive change for the San Diego Chargers,” Chargers President Dean Spanos said in a statement released Wednesday. “It was a tough decision, but in the end, all signs pointed to Tom. He is highly respected among his NFL peers. His work ethic is extraordinary. He is honest, humble, engaging and an excellent communicator. And, most important, he knows how to build a winning football team.

“Now that we have this critical piece in place, our goal is land the right coach to lead the team back to where it belongs: in the playoffs and to a Super Bowl championship.”

At 40, Telesco — who helped bring quarterback Andrew Luck to the Colts with the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft — will become the youngest general manager in Chargers history.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to be part of the San Diego Chargers family and the San Diego community,” Telesco said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Dean, John (Spanos), Ed McGuire and Ron Wolf for showing faith in me. I spent a lot of time with them and the interview process was extremely thorough and detailed. We discussed every facet of football operations, top to bottom. During the process it became clear that our philosophies and goals are one and the same. I can’t wait to get started.”